I'm WAY late with this, but we did a Sandhill Crane trip

[turd]

this year. Won't compare to Cholo's epic adventures, but we are impressed with the migration of these huge birds. They tend to stay in central Nebraska for about a month to regain strength for the rest of their migration. I used to live in Grand Island, NE many years ago, and grew to love to see these birds in the spring. I had a former client with a farm near the Platte River that invited me to their farm to observe the cranes at rest in the evening. They spend the night standing in the water so they are safe from predators. They have the coolest call, kind of a trilling sound. We stayed in Kearney, NE, near the Audubon Center Rowe Sanctuary. There are literally tens of thousands of them in the area. They feed on fallen grain in the fields until they regain strength and then move into Canada. I've attached some pics. No close-ups, because they are pretty hard to get closer to than around 100 yards, they are pretty wary. The building in the Audubon Center's, this is the largest building in the world made out of straw bales covered with stucco. Very much an enjoyable trip, I think we'll go back next year. :) Sorry for the double, I'm a neophyte at attaching pics....

 

[Dave P.]

I live in Michigan and don't see them very often.
The local airport has some issues with them and sometimes shoots them?
One of the employees says they are VERY tasty, personally they look like they'd taste like
goose which I don't like. Anybody else here eaten any?

 

[Bob Wright]

My wife and I made a trip to Muleshoe, Texas once for the sandhill cranes. That evening maybe 250,000 cranes came to roost.

Bob Wright

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Those are great birds and yes the call is cool. You don't realize how big they are until you see them up close. One of my neighbors had one mounted and placed on his den fireplace chimney.
When we first moved into this area in 1979 there were Geese of all types and Sandies in the close by fields. In fact one of the rice fields next to us had a pot hole that would fill with water. Son would put out some decoys and call in ducks. On occasion Sandhills and geese would also land. Most of the time we did more watching than shooting.
I loved to see the flocks of Geese and Cranes fly over. Now with all of the development I have not seen any for years.
At one time the Katy area, which we a part of, and Eagle Lake, 30 miles West, which was known as "The Goose Capital Of the World" was a hunting paradise.
I do believe the marshes along the Gulf are still great to hunt. One of my neighbors had a cabin along the Inter Costal Waterway South of Port O'Conner, which allowed access by his airboat to the marsh. He also had a Black Lab that was amazing to watch retrieving. Watching the huge amount of Ducks flying as the sun is coming up with unlimited visibility is just breathtaking. It was a real joy to fish, watch for ducks and when seen coming put down your rod and pick up your gun.

 

[turd]

Some call cranes 'ribeye in the sky'.

 

[akbluz]

We have some sandhill cranes that migrate through Southcentral Alaska on their way north. I always love to hear them calling to each other.

 

[Bob Wright]

Before I ever heard a sandhill crane, I was at my duaghter's house in Creson, Texas. I was standing out in a field when I heard the "vrooooo. vrooo" sound. I could not locate the source of the sound nor identify it. Looking up I saw some light colored birds at very high altitude, too high to identify. Later, on Padre Island, I came face to face with a sandhill crane. It looked at me, smiled (in bird expression) and said, "Vrooooo. Vroooo."

Was finally able to put the bird and the sound together.

Bob Wright

 

[Huskerguy72]

That brings back memories. I also lived in Grand Island from 79-84 and loved it there. We often went out and watched the cranes and you couldn't avoid them and their sounds if you were doing anything in the Platte River Valley.

We now live in North Central Kansas and would consider moving back to that area but taxes are ridiculous in Nebraska, but slightly better than good ole Kansas!

 

[B-O-B'03]

Some call cranes 'ribeye in the sky'.

A good friend of mine goes out near Lubbock to hunt them and that is what he calls them.

I suggested he have a party and serve some up... still waiting :(

-Brian

 

[Dan in MI]

I saw a crane last week turkey hunting.
Mom did something I never saw before. usually when a crane is bumped they fly off quite a distance. This one didn't. She went about 50 yards and landed. Then as I got closer to the chick (unaware) she came back closer and then did the broken wing wobble. That's about when I noticed something off color in the hay. As I walked up towards the chick the mom really got to wobbling trying to get me to follow. I just walked by and got the pic. It wasn't until i was 100 yards off that she quit faking it.

 

[gjgalligan]

Have several around here in the summertime. I grew up 15 miles from here and never saw or heard of this birds until I moved here 20 years ago.
Noise can be quite irritating at times. If we are sitting outside they can be so loud we can't carry on a conversation.

 

[kcsteve]

Sometimes I hear them flying at night.

 

[noahmercy]

Love the sandhills! They just started showing up here in northern Wyoming for the season in the last couple weeks. The blue herons as well...rookeries are full up.

For a time when I lived in Florida, our place was right next to the field where a couple thousand would show up each year to "hook up". The noise they made and the spectacle as they did their dances was incredible! And I agree with those who say they don't look very big until you get close...really statuesque birds.

 

[Sturgis270]

Here in S.E. Wisconsin it seems that there are pairs in almost every field. Some years back when my brother was still farming he would complain how the cranes would pull the corn as it was starting to sprout and eat it. Love seeing these birds locally as they stroll through my yard occasionally.